Crime Blog

The house on Forestwood Drive in Arlington is valued at more than $400,000.

Here’s the latest from The Associated Press:

FORT WORTH, Texas — A North Texas man has been sentenced to 10 years’ probation for trying to claim squatters’ rights on a house using an obscure state law.

A Tarrant County jury deliberated less than two hours Thursday before determining David Cooper’s sentence. Jurors also decided the 26-year-old DeSoto man must pay a $10,000 fine.

Cooper could have received a life sentence for the theft charge and 20 years in prison for the burglary charge. He was convicted Wednesday of first-degree felony theft and burglary for illegally occupying a $400,000 Arlington home. Cooper said he relied on a law allowing for “adverse possession” when he filed a claim for $16 on the home and moved in.

The family that owned the home was away because a member was being treated for cancer.

Update:

A DeSoto man was convicted Wednesday for using the state’s “adverse possession” law to move into a luxury home in Arlington while the owners were out of town.

David Cooper

David Cooper, 26, faces up to life in prison for a felony theft charge and an additional 20 years for burglary, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Cooper’s wife, Jasmine Williams Cooper, was acquitted on the same charges.

The defense lawyer for David Cooper said yesterday that the man accused of using Texas’ obscure adverse possession law to burglarize and loot an Arlington luxury home was instead improving the property.

The Star-Telegram reports that Deborah Goodall told jurors in opening statements yesterday that her client made “remarkable changes” to the property. She then called Cooper to the stand, where he told jurors that neighbors were glad to see him because the property had fallen into disrepair.

The owners, Raymond and Julie Dell, have maintained since Cooper’s arrest last year that they were in Houston for several months while Julie Dell received cancer treatments. Raymond Dell testified yesterday that he was shocked when notified by police that a stranger was living in their home. He said he found furniture missing and clothes stuffed in garbage bags when he returned to the house.

The home, once owned by Texas Rangers slugger Juan Gonzalez, is valued at more than $400,000 on Tarrant County tax rolls. In addition to burglary charges against him and his wife, Cooper also faces a charge of first-degree felony theft of over $200,000 that could land him in prison for life.

The trial was set to resume today.

Top Picks

ArchivesAbout this blog

About this Blog

Criminal justice reporters, editors and invited guests provide news and analysis impacting Dallas-area police, courts, fire and other public safety issues and entities. Readers are encouraged to join the conversation.